St. Landry democrat., 1887-06-04
CURRENT TOPICS.

settlement large area from which the
land grant roads were authorized to
select sections equal in number to those
previously granted to them, but which
were found to have been occupied. The
railroads have been so slow in making
| their selections in this so-called indemnity
area that there have been many cases
where farmers have settled and made
Improvements only to find themselves at
the mercy of the railroads. The recent
case of Guilford Miller was one of this
sort, and was the subject of the late
letter of the President, directing that
great care should be taken to protect the
rights of such settlers. The land office
has ruled that Guilford Miller shall not
be disturbed in his tenure, and that
hereafter indemnity selections must be
made only upon vacant land. A PROPOSE
ton is now pending before the President
for his approval to throw open for settle
ment about 1O0,00O,000 acres of these
indemnity lands, on the ground that the
railroads have had ample time to make
liiCIk SClCIt4oAS dlIt I1IS PSopAS 'AAooaA
no longer be excluded from this vast
area. Inasmuch as there are cases
where the railroad option has been held
for thirty-seven years, it is certainly high
time that there should be definite
settlement. The building of these roads
has undoubtedly been of great
value to the government and to the peo
| Pile, throwing up vast regions to settle
ment and immensely improving the
value of the land. The government has,
however, been extremely indulgent to
the corporations, most of which have
violated the conditions upon which the
grant was made. 1t is simply an act of jus
tice to the people to close up the account
and open to settlement the lands now in
cluded in the indemnity area.
**#
The progress of the Knights of Labor
is for the present checked by warfare in
its own ranks. The general executive
board has recently suspended District
Assembly 1876, which has membership
of over 1000. The case illustrates
weakness in the constitution of the Or
der, which is regarded by many observers
as fatal defect. Some workers in a New
York carpet factory are members of Dis
trict 40, the great bulk belonging
to District 1876, which is composed of car
pet-weavers No. 1876 refused to co-ope-
rate with 40 in strike ordered at the
factory, and hence the suspension of the
former AS 1876 claims to have ninety
against two per cent. in 40, the former
denounce the action of the general
board as an attack on their trade inter
ests This commingling of trades in the
order, by which men of one trade are
liable to be charged with authority to
settle matters pertaining to other
trades, is obviously fruitful source
of trouble. The interests of all the vari
Gus trades are by no means identical
Increased cost of production in one trade
might for instance impoverish collateral
industry From these and other reasons
falling off in the membership of the
order is reported. Statistics published
in the New York Sun show decrease of
1866 in the membership of ten district
assemblies during the past year.
x**
The rock of difficulty on (which was
wrecked the negotiations between Vir-
ginia and her English bondholders was
the refusal of the State to issue any bond
with tax-receivable coupons. AS long
as the State maintains this position no
settlement is probable. The holders of
the old bonds of that character enjoy a
considerable protection from the re-
peated decisions of the United States
courts in their favor, and this advantage
they very naturally refuse to surrender.
Other Southern States have repudiated
settlements of their debts, in which the
creditors had submitted to heavy abate-
ments of their dues, and when the honor
of Virginia is rendered as security that
this will not be done by her the query
naturally arises: If Virginia intends to
pay why does she object to being bound
to pay? On the other hand the people
of the State smart under the embarrass
ments caused by the protracted contests
with the boDdholders in the United
States courts and State pride is exasper-
ated at the subsection of State to Ma
tional authority in this branch of the
case. The division of the old State into
two has also confused the equities of the
case and entangled the controversy.
There is no doubt, however, that the
greatest loser by the failure to make a
settlement is the State itself.
~
The civil service reform leagues are
full of congratulations over the action OF
the President in establishing competitive
examinations for promotions in the
Washington departments. All the clerks
have now to undergo examination, and
must reach certain grade to hold their
places at all. The result will doubtless be
to weed out large number OF
employees and make vacancies to be
filed by new appointments. Whether
the system will result in securing fit men |
for the hiphar grades of work where eX- |